Fan support bracket



April 4, 1961 v. E. SPROUSE EIAL 2,978,216

FAN SUPPORT BRACKET Filed Jan. 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HNVENTEHI? L E-LL VEITITEDREEEEPNRDLEJEE 3" Q. I W an ATTDDN E Y JBY A ril 4, 1961 v. E. SPROUSE ET AL 2,978,216

FAN SUPPORT BRACKET Filed Jan. 22, 1960 2 Sh eets-Sheet 2 IEIErr?) ATTD RNEY ed States Pa FAN SUPPORT BRACKET Verner E. Sprouse and Philip E. Bender, Columbus, Ind.,

assignors to Vernco Corp., Columbus, -Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Jan. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 4,149

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-201) This invention relates to means for mounting a fan on a carrying stucture which is intended to be moved about and supported from the floor. able to merely tilt the fan above and below a horizontally directed flow of air as well as changing the vertical elevation of the fan.

It is the primary purpose of the present invention to achieve these desired features in an extremely simple and yet most eflective construction which may be adjusted simply by turning a knurled wheel or the like to loosen and tighten the'mounting device as well as at the same time to permit rocking of the fan itself in relation to the device.

These and many other objects andadvantages of the invention including the extreme simplicity of the structure embodying the invention and the relatively low cost of production of it, will be apparent to those versed in the art. One particular form of the invention is illustrated and described in reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective in dismounted relation of the various parts forming this structure; and

Fig. 3 a detail in vertical section through the structure.

In the present illustration of the invention, a fan herein shown as having four blades is carried within a guard 11. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this guard is of an open nature having at least a pair of circumferential boundary rods or wires 12 and 13, Fig. 2, with a plurality of regularly'spaced apart connecting rods or wires 14. The fan 10 is supported by its guard 11 by a framework 15 wherein there are a pair of spaced apart generally vertically disposed posts 16 and 17. It is desired that the fan 10 be shiftable vertically of these posts 16 and 17, and also to rock therebetween.

The supporting means between the guard 11 and the posts 16 and 17 constitutes the invention and is shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein there is a plate 18 having ends 19 and 19a curved around over upper and lower connecting members 14 and 14a.

On one side of the plate 18 is fixed a screw-threaded member 20 in the nature of a nut. This plate 18 and nut 20 are preferably primarily within the guard 11. The threaded hole 21 of the nut 20 is available through a matching opening 22 in the plate 18, preferably centrally between the connecting members 14 and 14a.

A clamp generally designated by the numeral 23 has a central length 24 surrounding each of the posts 16 and 17, herein shown as applied to the post 17, and is carried circumferentially therearound to have legs 25 and 26 extend therefrom in normally spaced apart relation and approximately parallel one with the other. Pulling these legs 25 and 26 one toward the other causes the portion 24 to grip the post 17 with considerable pressure and be frictionally retained at any position therealong as may be desired. 1

Between the leg 25 and the plate 18 is placed a rubber In such uses, it is desirice or rubber-like washer 27. The washer 27 may of course be made out of other material, but that material must possess a degree of resilience so that it does not take a permanent set nor loosen up after a period of applied pressure thereto. A screw-threaded pin or rod 28 is provided with a head 29 with a wheel 30, both the-head 29 and 30 being fixed to the rod 28. This rod 28 is passed through both of the legs 25 and 26 freely; through a central portion of the washer 27 such as through the hole 31, and screw-threadedly engages with the nut 20.

The wheel 30 may be rotated to cause the head 29 to abut the leg 26 and compressibly engage the leg 26, carrying the leg 25 against the disk 27 and the disk 27 against the plate 18, the disk being sufficiently resilient to conform to the distortion required to fit around the connecting members 14 and 14a to permit a large area of the disk or washer 27 to come into abutment with the plate 18.

In order to prevent bending of the leg 26 or the leg 25 from the approximate parallelism one with the other, after the post 17 has been adequately gripped by pressing those two fingers one toward the other to have the encircling portion 24 in firm, non-slipping grip with the post 17, the two legs 25 and 26 are respectively provided with end flanges 32 and 33, one overlapping the other as indicated in Fig. 2, whereby continued rotation of the wheel 30 will bring the inner edge of the flange 33 into abutment with the member 25, while the flange 32 overlaps the flange 33 on the outer side thereof. The length of the flange 33 is to be made to be such that it will abut the leg 25 after there has been sufficient draw-up pressure applied to the leg 26 while the leg 25 is held from relative travel by being in abutment with the member 27. In this way, there is in elfect produced a bracket 23 which may yield between the finger outer ends and the post, but only to a slight degree, the yielding taken then in the member 27 which is a friction member non-slipping under pressure in its contact with the leg 25, the member 27 taking on the effect of having shoulders, Fig. 3, where the member 27 is compressed back between the connecting members 14 and 14a to come into firm abutment with the plate 18.

Thus by loosening the wheel 30, the guard 11 may be revolved about the member 28 on each side, so as to tilt the guard 11 to the desired angle, or the bracket 23 may be lifted or lowered on the post 16 and 17. These desired positions may then be maintained by tightening both of the wheels 30.

While we have herein shown and described our invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be made in the structure without departing from the spirit of the invention, and we therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claim. 6

We claim:

=For mounting a fan guard between two parallel posts, a plate carried on opposite sides of the guard adjacent the posts, each plate including a screw-threaded member; a C-shaped clamp member in the nature of a band circumferentially encircling in part each of said posts and having a finger extending integrally from ends of the clamp from opposite sides of the posts in each instance, the fingers being normally in spaced apart approximate parallel alignment; a flange extending substantially at right angles from the outer end of each of said fingers, the flange of one finger being directed toward the end portion of but initially spaced from contact with said other finger; the other flange overlapping the flange of said one finger; a rod revolubly extending through both of said fingers and screw-threadedly engaging said plate carried screw-threaded member; a resilient, friction member interposed between said plate and said other clamp finger, said rod passing through the friction member; a member carried by said rod and abutting said one finger and,

upon rotation, urging one finger toward the other compressibly between said friction member and said rod car- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Koch Aug. 18, 1936 Felton Nov. 7, 1950 Krauss Jan. 13, 1959 Christensen Mar. 24, 1959 

